If you've ever applied for a charge account, a personal loan, insurance, or a job, someone is probably keeping a file on you. This file might contain information on how you pay your bills, or whether you've been sued, arrested, or have filed for bankruptcy. The companies that gather and sell this information are called "Credit Reporting Agencies," or "CRA's." The most common type of CRA is the credit bureau. The information sold by CRA's to creditors, employers, insurers, and other businesses is called a "consumer report." This report generally contains information about where you work and live and your bill-paying habits.
In 1970, Congress passed the Fair Credit Reporting Act to give consumers specific rights in dealing with CRA's. The Act protects you by requiring credit bureaus to furnish correct and complete information to businesses to use in evaluating your applications for credit, insurance, or a job.
The Federal Trade Commission enforces the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Here are answers to some questions about consumer reports and CRA's.
If your application was denied because of information supplied by a CRA, that agency's name and address must be supplied to you by the company you applied to. Otherwise, you can find the CRA that has your file by calling those listed in the Yellow Pages under "credit" or "credit rating and reporting." Since more than one CRA may have a file about you, call each one listed until you locate all agencies maintaining your file.
Yes, if you request it. The CRA is required to tell you about every piece of information in the report, and in most cases, the sources of that information. Medical information is exempt from this rule, but you can have your physician try to obtain it for you. The CRA is not required to give you a copy of the report, although more and more are doing so. You also have the right to be told the name of anyone who received a report on you in the past six months. (If your inquiry concerns a job application, you can get the names of those who received a report during the past two years.)
Yes, if your application was denied because of information furnished by the CRA, and if you request it within 30 days of receiving the denial notice. If you don't meet these requirements, the CRA may charge a reasonable fee.
Notify the CRA. They're required to reinvestigate the items in question. If the new investigation reveals an error, a corrected version will be sent, on your request, to anyone who received your report in the past six months. (Job applicants can have corrected reports sent to anyone who received a copy during the past two years.)
The new investigation may not resolve your dispute with the CRA. If this happens, have the CRA include your version or a summary of your version of the disputed information in your file and in future reports. At your request, the CRA also will show your version to anyone who recently received a copy of the old report. There is no charge for this service if it's requested within 30 days after you receive notice of your application denial. After that, there may be a reasonable charge.
No, you also may request information over the phone. But before the CRA will provide information, you must establish your identity by completing forms they will send you. If you do wish to visit in person, you'll need to make an appointment.
If a report is prepared on you in response to an insurance or job application, it may be an investigative consumer report. These are much more detailed than regular consumer reports. They often involve interviews with acquaintances about your lifestyle, character, and reputation. Unlike regular consumer reports, you'll be notified in writing when a company orders an investigate report about you. This notice also will explain your right to ask for additional information about the report from the company you applied to. If your application is rejected, however, you may prefer to obtain a complete disclosure by contacting the CRA, as outlined in this brochure. Note that the CRA does not have to reveal the sources of the investigative information.
Generally, seven years. Adverse information can't be reported after that, with certain exceptions:
bankruptcy information can be reported for 10 years;
information reported because of an application for a job with a salary of more than $20,000 has no time limitation;
information reported because of an application for more than $50,000 worth of credit or life insurance has no time limitation;
information concerning a lawsuit or a judgment against you can be reported for seven years or until the statute of limitations runs out, whichever is longer.
No, it's only given to those with a legitimate business need.
Yes, if you applied for and were denied credit, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act requires creditors to tell you the specific reasons for your denial. For example, the creditor must tell you whether the denial was because you have "no credit file" with a CRA or because the CRA says you have "delinquent obligations." This law also requires creditors to consider, upon request, additional information you might supply about your credit history.
You may wish to obtain the reason for the denial from the creditor before you go to the credit bureau.
Married and formerly married women may encounter some common credit-related problems. For more information, write for the free FTC brochure, Women and Credit Histories, Public Reference, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C. 20580. You also may write to this address for a free copy of Best Sellers, which lists all the FTC's consumer and business publications.
Although the FTC can't act as your lawyer in private disputes, information about your experiences and concerns is vital to the enforcement of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Please send questions or complaints to: Correspondence Branch, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, D.C. 20580.
FTC CONSUMER & SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY - PUBLIC DOCUMENT
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